Senior Citizens

Carol at the Senior Center asked if I would mind coming to the center a few minutes before lunch. She said that there some members of the Center who wanted to ask me a few questions. I agreed and visited the Center this morning and we had a good Question and Answer session.

If you have not been to the Center in awhile, you should take time and pay them a visit. Carol and crew have the Center looking good, the food is great and the atmosphere is full of life and excitement!

The remainder of this post will outline our visit and the concerns of our Seniors.

Q. Why does the City not give an exemption on taxes for Senior Citizens age 65 and over like the school, county, and college?
A. I spoke with Larry (City Manager) about the history of the subject of the question above. Larry told me that it had been discussed in the past and that due to our large number of Senior Citizens (over age 65,) the City would only have to offset the loss of taxes with a large increase in utility billing.


Q. Under the Freedom of Information Act, will the City Statutes and Ordinances be available if requested?
A. All of the ordinances and statutes are available for the public to view. All that you must do is come to City Hall and ask Robyn.

Q. Are golf carts illegal on City streets? Do they have to be licensed?
A. The answer is no and maybe. I have not had this question posed to me before so I had not given much thought to it. Please remember that unlicensed drivers need to be supervised especially while operating any type of motorized equipment. That being said, it is my belief that if it is not drawing the attention of law enforcement, chances of getting noticed are pretty small. If it was mine, I would put a slow moving vehicle triangle on the back and stop at all stop signs!

I will say that I have seen several golf carts licensed. Check with the TXDOT to see what it takes to make a golf cart 'street legal.'

The following sections are excerpts from the Texas Transportation Code Section 502

(7)  "Golf cart" means a motor vehicle designed by the manufacturer primarily for transporting persons on a golf course.

§ 502.0071  GOLF CARTS.  An owner of a golf cart is not required to register the golf cart if:
                       
(1)  the operation of the golf cart occurs in the  daytime, as defined by
Section 541.401;  and
 (2)  the operation:      
 (A)  does not exceed a distance of two miles from the point of origin to the destination if driven to
and from a golf course;
 (B)  occurs entirely within a master planned community
with a uniform set of restrictive covenants that has had a plat approved by a county or a municipality;  or
 (C)  occurs on a public or private beach.                                    
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1320, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.

Q.  Will we at some time in the future have a city constable instead  of calling county deputies?
A.  We have a City Marshal and he works 40 hours spread over seven days.  Having held  the position
for two years, I can tell you that sometimes, it is impossible to cover  the City 24 X 7 though that is sometimes
the expectation. . .   I am adding a part time officer to the budget, it will be up to the City Council to fund it and
make it a realty.

Q.  Do you have any plans for Town Hall Meetings?
A.  YES!!  I am working with Nana B's to find the right night to have a Town Hall meeting there.
You could make planning for space easier by telling your friends to email or call me if you or they would
attend a Town Hall meeting if we held one.

Any time that I meet with any group and questions are asked, I will post a Q & A of the
general interest questions with answers.

if you have questions or comments, please email Karl at mayor@cityofanton.org
806-997-2801